International 5/62 First Weekend Roundup (24/05/2008 22:34)

Well, after the first week of play in season 36 at International 5/62 one thing is for certain. That is the fact that predicting the top four teams in the lower division leagues is easy, it is predicting the rest that is hard. These were my predictions before the start of the season.

1. fenix
2. Liverpool IFC
3. Pool Man
4. Dorchester FC
5. traeff fc
6. huse mitt
7. Of Per Zia
8. Forex
9. Wermacht
10. Dinamo Ploiesti
11. Espantas
12. Amsterdam FC
13. youneverwalkbjksiz
14. Liverpool-Niggaz
15. GPs team
16. Niebieskie Orlatka

Except for Pool Man and IFK Liverpool (Blogger's note: 2nd misspelling of a team's name in two seasons) switching spots the top 4 is right on the money. It is the middle and bottom of the table which both seasons has given me the most trouble. As I did last year, here are the teams that have performed above the expectations, and those who have fallen flat. As always, for a team to qualify for either classification they must be 3 spots above or below where they are on my prediction table.

Teams That have Exceeded Expectations
1. Espantas (predicted 11th; currently 6th)
This is a team that injuries are starting to take their toll on. They have lost 3 of their normal starting 11 do to overplaying and not resting them during practices. They have run those guys to a nice 4-1-4 start, but they will need their backups to play just as well to stay above the yellow line. I'm still unsure if new management changes the whole team on the new player, but if it don't this team can stay where it is with proper management and possibly even move to 4th or 5th.

2. GPs Team (predicted 15th; currently 10th)
There is no statistical reasoning on why this team is not in the cellar. They have 6 players who are injured, 2 of which haven't even played a game all season. Their best players sit on the bench and a couple of their worst players have played all 9 games. They should fall down to 15th or 16th, but then again that's where they should be and they obviously are not. Maybe certain players play better together or something on ML because there's nothing else I can figure on why they have been so successful, and considering they only have 9 points that's saying something.

3. Niebieskie Orlatka (predicted 16th; currently 13th)
Not sure why I am posting them since they are still in the automatic relegation zone but they are closer to a playoff berth then I thought they would be. In the end, what it will come down to is how far some other teams fall, since it looks like they might have a fitness advantage later on during the season. I still see them in the red, but any team that has some fight in it is a fun and interesting team to watch.

Teams That have not Met Expectations
1. traeff fc (predicted 5th; currently 12th)
I would love to say that this team has gone through the roughest patch of its first half season schedule, but they still have a home game against Of Per Zia and away games against Dorchester FC and then back-to-back games against the top two teams in the league, Fenix and IFK Liverpool. Having to face 4 of the top 5 teams in the league when you're in a rut four games in a row is not good for the chances of staying alive. It would surprise me as much if they pull out 8 or 9 out of 12 points in those games as it would surprise me if they got 0 to 3 points. I feel they will be in the top 10 come the end of the season, but they need a change of form fast and their schedule does not look favorable.

2. Forex (predicted 8th; currently 11th)
Out of Forex and traeff fc, Forex has the more favorable scheduling to put a little run together. Both of their matches against top half of the table talent in the next 5, IFK Liverpool and Espantas, are at home. Course, if they are in the same position the last 5 or 6 games they'd probably trade those for home games at the end of the season, but you have to take what the schedule gives. I personally think they will stay where they are after looking at what I have seen, but being here shows how right I've been with them so far this season.

3. Dinamo Ploiesti (predicted 10th; currently 16th)
The only good news I can say about this team is the fact that all 4 of their points have been earned the past 3 games. Maybe they're finally starting to find something, but with 4 players injured  and some of their stars on the bench, this team looks destined to stay in the red. Depending on how true my GPs Team prediction is they might be able to avoid the cellar, but that's all that they will go up in the table.

4. Amsterdam FC (predicted 12th; currently 15th)
I predict them to be the bottom of the league last season and they make it to mid-table. I predict them a little bit better this year, though still in the promotion/demotion playoffs and they go into the red. I think they will pretty much stay in the red, but knowing how they react to my predictions, this might give them the superhuman ability to win 7 or 8 in a row and get up to 9th or something.

Next week will probably bring some shocks and results that no one will see coming, and come next Saturday I will actually post the up-to-date table underneath the predictions. Why not this week? Because I am lazy and have a headache that will not stop. Until then, unless something new happens, i.e. I can get someone to buy a player that I have up for transfer and no more Department Cup results until the finals, this is TKBomber signing out.